Machine for use in attaching soles to shoes



Nov. 22, 1949 H. GULBRANDSEN 2,488,532

MACHINE FOR USE IN ATTACHING SOLES TO SHOES Filed June 5, 1946 '7Sheets-Sheet 1 [n venzor Helge Gu/branqsen By h s Azzorney Nov. 22, 1949H. GULBRANDSEN MACHINE FOR USE IN ATTACHING SOLES TO SHOES 7Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 5, 1946 [nvenfor ma o t F W G n e d ud H5 Nov.22, 1949 H. GULBRANDSEN momma FOR us: In ATTACHING SOLES TO SHOES FiledJune 5, 1946 '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 [72 uerzzor By his Azzorrzey 1949 I H.GULBRANDSEN 2,433,532

MACHINE FOR USE IN ATTACHING SOLES TO SHOES Filed June 5, 1946 7Sheets-Sheet 4 [n uenzor 75 Hezye Ga lbrandsen (Is A zzzor'msy 1949 H.GULBRANDSEN MACHINE FOR USE IN ATTACHING SOLES TO SHOES Nov. 22,

7 Sheets- Sheet 5 Filed June 5, 1946 O O O O O O O O O O O OOOOOOOOOOOGulbmna serz l n venfor Nov. 22, 1949 H. GULBRANDSEN 2,488,532

MACHINE FOR USE IN ATTACHING SOLES TO SHOES Filed June 5, 1946 7Sheets-Sheet e In van for Helge Gu/branc/sen Nov. 22, 194 H. GULBRANDSEN2,483,532

MACHINE FOR USE IN ATTACHING SOLES TO SHOES Filed June 5, 1946 7Sheets-Sheet 7 305 [n venzor' 310 I I He [ye Gullarzmaserz Patented Nov.22, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MACHINE FOR USE IN ATTACHING SOLESTO-SHOES Helge Gulbrandsem'Beverly, Mass, asslgnor to United ShoeMachinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New JerseyApplication June 5, 1946, Serial No. 674,468

28 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for cement-attaching soles to shoes,and particularly.

Objects of the invention are, to facilitate the.

practice of the method disclosed in United States Letters Patent No.2,373,922, granted April 1'7, 1945, upon an application of Max W.TetloW.

The illustrated machine provides improved apparatus comprising a cabinetfor treating at one time a plurality of soles with hot vapor-laden airboth to temper the soles and to activate the cement thereon, the cabinetbeing, forexample, arranged adjacent to a sole-attachin machine of theeight-station turret type similar to that disclosed in Letters Patent ofthe United States No. 2,047,185, granted July 14, 1936, on applicationof Milton H. Ballard et a1.

Manually operated means is provided for ejecting soles from the cabinetone after the other.

It is desirable at times, as for example when the'sole conditioningapparatus is not used in conjunction with a sole attaching machine, toincorporate the conditioning apparatus in a separate machine.Accordingly, in accordance with a feature of my invention, a form ofsole ejecting means is illustrated by Way of example which isindependent of the operation of a sole attaching machine. As shown, theejecting means consist of an operator controlled system which isdirectly connected to the sole ejecting mechanism so that soles can beejected independently of'the operation of an associated machine.

The illustrated cabinet has in its upper part stalls for holding solessupported on edge and the sides of the stalls, which may contact withone or the other of the faces of the sole, are made of heat-insulatingmaterial such as wood so that condensation of moisture thereon will beminimized and transference of condensed water to the face of the soleavoided.

To reduce the relative humidity of the activating and temperingatmosphere of the cabinet, means is provided for introducing air intothe cabinet above the water level, the arrangement being such that theamount of air may be varied to control the humidity of the atmosphere.

To maintain a constant level of water in the cabinet and graduallytorestore the water as it is evaporated, a pocket is provided on the sideof the cabinet which is continually supplied with cool water andmaintained at a constant level by an overflow pipe, the pocket having are- 6 stricted passage leading to the cabinet whereby the water level inthe cabinet is maintained the same as that in the pocket.

In order that the water in the cabinet may be heated quickly, instarting the apparatus, the

bottom of the cabinet is provided with a well in which the heatingelement is located, the water spreading out above the well to provide anadequate surface for evaporation.

These and other featuresof the invention will appear more fully from thefollowing description when read in connection with the accompanyingdrawings and will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a front view in perspective of a socalled eightstationsole-attachin machine of the type disclosed in the Ballard et al. patentabove referred v to, equipped with the apparatus of the presentinvention, the pad, gages and pressure-applying mechanism at theoperating stationbeing shown in full, and the two adjacent identicalpads, gages and pressure-applying mechanisms being shown in outline;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the activating cabinet and .the shoe carrier orturntable mounted on a sole-attaching machine of the type referred to;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the activating cab.- inet and theshoe-carrying turntable;

Fig. 4 is'a longitudinal sectional view of the 'cabinet showing thesole-ejecting mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the sole-holding rack with which the cabinet isprovided;

Fig. 6 is a plan View of the cabinet with the cover raised; 4t) Fig. 7is a sectional detail showing the connections for supplying water to thebase of the cabinet and maintaining a constant level of water therein;

Fig. 8 is a rear elevation of the sole-ejecting mechanism;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of parts shown in Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the air and water pumps at the base of themachine; and EigQll isa schematic view showing a treadle controlledsystem directly connected to the sole ejecting mechanism.

Referring toFig. 2, the numeral I0 indicates a shaft about the center ofwhich the turret 25fl of the sole-attaching machine rotates, several ofthe cylinders carried by the turret and by which pressure is applied tothe shoe and sole being shown at I2. A shoe-carrying turntable I4 (Fig.3) has a hub It which is journaled in a stud I8 mounted in a bracket 20fixed at one end to the shaft II] at the center of the turret of themachine ,and at the other. end.to ,ashelf. 24 on which an activatingcabinet 26-is mounted: The turntable I4 and the cabinet 26 are arrangedat about breast height so the operator can con-.. veniently reach them.

On the turntable I4 are five-blocks- 30"-having surfaces 32 downwardlyand outwardly inclinedat about 30 to the horizontalandto each of thesesurfaces are attached curved strips-;3.4.,ar-.- ranged to form a tray toreceive a; shoe. The cabinet 26 is an improvement over that disclosed inLetters Patent of the United 'States No: 2,334,232 granted November 16,1943, uppn the. application of Adoniram- J. Wells. The cabinet ns s i amet llic casin 11 i retb y overe w t am kl y r. n u a in ateri l. 42 anda i a. h n ed ov r. 4% ld closed byascrew 45. In the coverisa chimneyavin dam er. 59 on r l .v t lat n'; rou h the chimn n t e r m o t ecasing (Fig. 3) is a series of fo f sl ots 52, 53 .and 54. through whichsoles Q maybe introduced into the upper part of the cabinet toe endfirst.

The soles are supported on their edges ,in a removable, cagecomprisingan upper rectan ular, frame 60, (F,ig, 4) and a similarlowerrectangular, frame 62, the frames being connected at their, ends, byvertical struts 64. Arranged longitune lr Of e ames: nd su ported at hirv endsin the strutsfitare dowel-like rods,B6..(Fig.

5) .of ngn-heat-conducting material such as wood,

arranged to form four stalls II, 12, Hand 14 to, receive soles, thefront ends of thestalls being p sit o e p csi a e ot i e si Asindicated. in Figs 4, each side of each stall is A formed by four of,therods .66supported. at their; ends in the. vertical struts 64..

The. edges of the. ,f0r.epa fts .of. the, soles, rest n on a series. oftransverse. rods .lfi supported at.,,

their ends in thelower frame 62 and the rear; ends .of. thesoles .restona wire mesh IS -Which facilitates sliding of the soles .-lengthw ise,of, the

stalls. The. lower frame. 62 h of the cage... rests on screw studs .8 0projectinginwardly of. the. casing and isheld .inplaoeby. hooks 82engaging the .-si des.-of the. upper frame .60 .and serving to hold thecage from. lateral movement with the.

stalls al ined; .with the slotsr i .i'mwbich. cov u p r a t of theslots, the curtain being slit ;at 86 centrally of the in its upper sidesby holes 94 which allow;air-

to..pass upward into thesole-treatingchamber. The pipe 90,.is.conne.cted,toa vertical, pipe..96. (Fig. 4) having. therein arestricted .passage..98 which allows part of..the air to pass to aseries.. of connected pipes I00 which are perforated-on their lowersides and .are. partially immersed in water. contained in. thelower.part of the cabinet. he/ ter; ev i i dica e (Fi 3).. and;

running lengthwise of the bottom of the cabinet is a depression or wellI04 in which is an immersion heater I06 supplied with current from ajunction box I08 on which is a light H0 which 5 glows when the currentis on. The current is controlled by a thermostat H2 which is adjusted to.maintadn, the Water at.,a, predetermined temperature by turning a knobI I4, the setting being indicated by movement of a pointer II6 over a1;) .temperature scale H8. The temperature of the vapor-laden air in thecabinet is indicated by athermometer'I20elocated (Fig. 4) a shortdistance below the pipe 92.

.Between the pipeflg and the thermometer I 5..is .a. ,solid,baflle.-plate I22 which extends nearly tathewalls of-the. ,cabinet but is spacedtherefrom at I24 enough to allow circulation of the vapor-laden airaround its edges up into the sole-treating chamber. Spaced downwardly 20from the baflie plate I22 is another plate I26 which as shown Fig. 6hasalarge pieceremgyed frp n its rear end, as indicated by the line I2.Below. the plate I26 is a third plate I 3 0 ,whi ch is perforatedthroughout its extent by 25, ai Ye1 r e Q e 32-. hes b flesi ure "thatanywater in a li uid statewill be. removed.

from the hot vapor-laden air beforeit reaches. e cl r rea ine hamCornpressedair is supplied to the pipe 90 by. an air pump I (Fig. 10)located in the base. 'of themachine and driven vby a belt I42,from.-asuitablev motor. Theair enters the pump. through a suitablestrainerI44.and .isdischarged through the pipeSO which extends unto the.cabinet. throughaptOtective, casing. I45. The. pump I40 is supplied with,oil-by an .oil .cup I48.

Water is suppliedto the bottom of the casing. 40 by ,a,.ro.tary.pu mp Iwhichreceives water. through a pipe I54 .from a tank I56 and delivers. arouenam el58.1w a chamber I60 :(Fig. ,7)

"formed by a. pocket. I62. secured by screws.=I63.I

to,theside .of the-cabinet casing 40 and havinga cover, I64. An outletpipe. I66 enters the pocket I60 at a slightly higher level than theinlet.

pipe I.58 .and ,conducts the excess of waterback to thetank... I56.Leakager through the bearing. ofthe pump I50. is led back to. the tankby a pipe I68. The, pipes.l58..and.l66 .alsopass up through theprotective. casing I46.

50, The capacity of the. water pump 50 issuch that the. chamber IE0 iscontinuously supplied with coel, water, and.- main-tained =at a--substantially constant level by the overflow pipe I66. Communication.between the chamber I60 and 55. the. lower.part.ofthe casing 40 isprovided by a,

small opening ,.ITO (Fig. 7) so that, asthe heatedwater in-the.casing-40 evaporates, its place will be. taken by cool water from ,the.chamber I60 and the level of waterin the casing, maintained constant.Theopening H0 is .preferablymade by providing a groove in the side-0f aplug which fits-a. larger. opening and can-be removed-for cleaning ifnecessary.

Soles placed in the cabinet for tempering and .activation. of. thecementthereon are ejected. seriatim \by.mechanism best shown in Figs. 2, 4,: 8and 9. A series of rods I'II, I12, I'I3-and I14 projectthrough openingsI16 in bosses I10 from the rear. end of the casing 40. Each boss is apusher. I84, the pushers being attached one to,

counterbored (Fig. 4) .to'receivea rubber washer- I which is held inplace by a plate I82, the

each of the rods Ill, I'l2, I'l3-andl'l4, and each;

acting when its rod is reciprocated to engage the front end of the soleand push the heel end out of the slot inthe front end of the casing farenough so that it can be easily grasped by-the operator.

The rods I II, I12, I13 and H4 are reciprocated in turn by the followingmechanism. Each rod projects through a block I90 in which it hadjustablysecured by a setscrew I92. Each block is pivoted at I 94 to a lever, thelevers being num-- bered 20I, 202, 203 and 204 (Fig. 8) in the order ofthe rods. The levers are all pivoted on a shaft 206 mounted in a bracket208 secured at 2I0 tothe shelf 24 which supports the cabinet. Each leverhas a lower arm 2I2 to which a tension spring 2I4 is attached, the frontend of the spring being secured to an ear 2I6 on the bracket 208. Thetension of the spring holds each lever turned clockwise (Fig. 4) until aprojection 2I8 thereon rests against a stop screw 220 threaded through aportion 222 of the bracket 208.-

To operate the levers MI, 202, 203 and 204 in sequence, for example inthe order in which they are numbered, a shaft 224 is journaled inbearings 226, 228 formed on the bracket 208 (Fig. 8), At one side of thebearing, 228 a collar 230 is pinned on-the shaft 224 and at the otherSide of the bearing is pinned an eight-toothed ratchet wheel 232 (Fig.4) counterclockwisemovement of which is prevented by a leaf spring 234formed as a pawl engaging'the ratchet and secured at 2Z'l6 tov thebearing 228. On the shaft 224 (Figs. 8 and 9) is a series ofdouble-endedtappets 24I, 242, 243 and 244 so arranged rotationally on the shaft thatwhen the shaft is given a partial rotation one-eighth of a turn thetappet 24I will engage the arm 2I2 of the lever 20I and will operate thepusher on the rod "I to eject the sole in the stall 'lI through the slotThe next partial rotation of the shaft 224 will cause the tappet 242similarly to operate the lever 202 and eject a sole from the slot 52.Upon the next partial rotation of the shaft the tappet 243 will eject asole from, the slot 53, and upon the next partial rotation of the shaftthe tappet 244 will eject a sole from the slot 54. Then upon the nextpartial rotation of the shaft the opposite end 24I' of the tappet 24Iwill come into action at the slot SI and soles will be ejectedsuccessively in th named order by the opposite ends 242, 243', 244 ofthe tappets as they are brought into action by rotation of the shaft224. i

The ratchet wheel 232 is turned one tooth at each indexing of the mainturret of the eightstation machine by mechanism shown inFig. 3, Mountedon the main turret 250 (Fig. 1) in a manner to b described is a seriesof 0am blocks 25I, 252, 253, 254, 25I', 252, 253', 254,'one for each padbox of the machine. In Fig. 4 one of these cam blocks 254' has just beenmoved in' a leftward direction by rotation of the turret 250, theinclined upper face of the cam 254' has engaged a roll 256 on a lever258 pivoted at 260 to the shelf 24, lifted the lever and caused a pawl262 pivoted at 264 on the lever to rise, engage a tooth of the ratchetwheel 232 and rotate the wheel and the shaft 224 one-eight of a turn,the parts being now in position to be operated by the next cam 25I ofthe series (Fig. 2) which will act upon the next indexing of the turret250 to 266 (Fig.4) against a stop 268, and the throw of the'lever 258 isadjusted by a sto screw 210' against which it rests by-gravity.

The cam whichoperatesthe tappet 244 is not shown in Fig.2 but would behalfway between the cams 253 and 25I. The cams 25I', 252', 253 and 254'which operate in a similar manner the opposite ends 24I', 242', 243' and244' of the tappets toeject the second series of four soles are clearlyshown in Fig. 2.

I and is held down by screws 278.

To turn the turntable I4 one-fifth of a revolution in timed relation tothe ejection of soles,

thecam on each upright 212 has a projection 280 (Fig. 4) on which is anupstanding roll 282 arranged to engage, when the turret turns, a notch284 in aspider 286 secured to the hub I6 of the turntable I 4. 1 a

In the position shown in Fig. 1, the cam 253' is visibleto the operatorat the operating station and may, forhis convenience, be permanentlymarked 1L," the next cam 254' marked 2R, cam 25I marked 3L, cam 252marked 4R, cam 253 marked 1L again, and so on-for the second series offour. This will indicate to the operator that the next pad to come alongwhen he indexes the machine will be for a left shoe and that the soletherefor will be'ejected from the first slot (50. When the mark 2Rshows, he will know that a right shoe pad is coming along next and thatthe sole therefor will be ejected from the second slot (52)., That is,the letter will indicate whether a left or a right shoe pad comes next,and the number will be that of the slot counting from left to right fromwhich the, next sole will be ejected.

In starting the machine, the'current for the heater I06 is turnedon'long enough beforehand the vapor-laden air in the cabinet is about 68to 70C. (154 to 172 F.). This will not take long since the'well I04contains only a relatively small quantity of water which surrounds theimmersion heater I 06. Above the well the water spreads out the fullsize of the cabinet to provide a large evaporating surface and is onlydeep enough to at least partially immerse the pipes I00 through thelower sides of which air is being forced. The air, as it bubbles upthrough the water, is heated and laden with water-vapor nearly tothesaturation point; that is, it may have, for example, about relativehumidity. In passing up through and around the baffles I30, I26 and I22,any water as such will be removed and in passing, around the baflle I22the vaporladen air will be mixed with air from the pipe 92 ,the quantityof which may be controlled by a valve 290 in the pipe 90. As a result,the relative humidity of the vapor-laden air in the chamber may bevaried to the desired extent for treating soles indifferent conditionsof temper as they come to the machine.

After the cabinet is heated, the operator places soles in the cabinetand shoes in the trays. Supposing, for example, the cam 253' (marked ILin Fig. 1) is visible, he places a left sole in the slot 5I of thecabinet and the shoe to which this sale acetates:

7 is tobeia ttacheddn the-tray A. A- right sole is then placedin.the3.slot 52 and the shoe in the tray B. A left sole isplaced in theslot 53 and a left shoe in the tray 0. Alright sole is placed in theslot 54 and a right shoe in the tray D.

After the first: sole has been in the cabinet for about thirty seconds,the operator indexes the machine by. operating a lever 292, bringing thecam 254 marked 2R to the operating station. With his right hand he takesa shoe fromthe rack. and puts' itiin the tray E whichisnow in theposition D -of the drawing. With his left hand he takes aisole. for thisshoe from the table and with his right hand removes the partiallyejected solefromthe slot 51' of the cabinet and inserts the new solethat isin his left hand. He places the ejected sole on a pad 294, closesthe gages bydepressinga treadle 296 connected to a rod 291 (Fig. 1),andtakes the shoe from the tray A which is now at the position'E of thedrawing, placesit upon thesole, applies pressure to the shoeand sole andindexes the machineby operating the lever 292. This causes the secondsole to be ejected fromslot 52 and presents the-shoe in tray B attheoperatingstation. A new shoe is, placed in the tray, A, now at therightof the operator, and the sole therefor in slot 52 after removingthe ejected sole in that slot. The sole takenfrom slotl52 is laid onthepad. and the shoe from tray B is'attached to it, and so on. Afterallthepeight stations are filled, the cam marked 1L willlagain bevisible at the operating station and the operator knows that thestationto be presented by the next indexing movement WillLbe the one with whichhe started. Accordingly, he indexes the machine and the first shoetreatedzisreleaseii as itarrives at the operating station. He removesthecompleted shoe, places it in the rack and takes a new left shoe fromthe rack, places. it in :the empty tray and takes a left sole from thetable, removes the sole ejected from the slot 5|, places the new leftsole in its place, puts the ejected solexupon the pad and attaches it tothe shoe presented by the tray nearest this station, and so on.

Should'it be desired'to have the soles in the cabinet for a less time,the operator will first place soles in the slots 5|, 52' and 53 andshoes inthe-trays A, ,B,.and..C. Then, after the first solehasibeen'in-the cabinet long enough to be activated,- heplaces a newsole in the slot 54 and puts a shoe in tray D. He then indexes themachine, causing the sole to be ejected'from the slot 5 I, which sole heattaches to the shoe in tray A and proceeds. as before, introducing anew sole into the empty slot in the cabinet and attaching the ejectedsole to a shoe.

It willxbe.desirable-under certainconditions to make the operation ofthe sole conditioningapparatus independent of the operation of the soleattaching machine, as when the apparatus is incorporated in anindependent machine so that it can be used in conjunction with attachingmachines which-are not equipped with a shoe tray such asillustratedherein. A control system for operating the sole ejectingmechanism independently of associated machines is illustrated in Fig..11in which-the ratchet wheel 232, which is pinned to the tappet shaft 224,is intermittently rotated by a pawl 300 which extends through a guide302 and is yieldinglyheld against a stop 304 by a spring 306. The: pawlis pivoted at its lower end to arodiiililwhich is in turn pivotallyconnected to a treadle'3lll, the arrangement being such that each timethe treadle is-depressed the claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States is:

1. Apparatus for treating soles comprising a sole tempering cabinet,fixed stalls within said cabinet for supporting a plurality of soles,means in the cabinet for tempering the soles, and means opposite eachstall for successively ejecting the soles individually from the cabinetafter they have been tempered, said means being operated by a singletreadle.

2. Apparatus for treating soles comprising a cabinet containing hotvapor laden air, a plurality of fixed stalls located side by side in thecabinet each adapted to support a single sole on its edge, means locatedopposite each stall for ejecting one sole at a time from the cabinet,and single means for operating all of the ejecting means.

3. Apparatus for treating soles comprising a cabinet containing hotvapor-laden air, a stationary rack, a plurality of stalls above saidrack each adapted to support a single sole on its edge in said cabinet,a member in each stall arranged to eject the sole end first from thecabinet, and single treadle operated means for operating said memberssequentially.

4. Apparatus for treating soles comprising a cabinet, means forsupplying hot vapor-laden air to the cabinet, a plurality of horizontalstalls in the cabinet each adapted to receive only a single sole and tosupport the sole on its edge, a pusher in each stall for partiallyejecting the sole from the cabinet to present it to an operator andsingle means for operating all of said pushers sequentially.

5. A cabinet for treating a plurality of soles at one time comprising aplurality of stalls located side by side in the cabinet each adapted tosupport one sole on its edge, means in the cabinet for forming hotvapor-laden air therein, a pusher in each stall for ejecting a sole, aratchet, a lever between the ratchet and each pusher for operating thepushers in turn, and treadle controlled means for operating the ratchet.

6. Apparatus for use in treating soles to be attached to shoescomprising a cabinet for treating a plurality of soles at one time,means for supplying hot vapor-laden air to the cabinet, a plurality ofstalls in the cabinet each adapted to support only one sole at a time onits edge, a pusher in each of the stalls, a ratchet wheel, a pluralityof levers operated by the ratchet wheel for actuating the pushers inturn to eject only one sole at a time from the cabinet, and means forturning the ratchet wheel.

'7. A cabinet for tempering soles and activating cement thereoncomprising a casing having water in the bottom thereof, means formaintaining the water at a constant level, means in the casing forheating the water, and single means for forcing air at room temperatureinto the cabinet both above and below the water-level.

8. A cabinet for tempering soles and activating cement thereoncomprising a casing having a well at the bottom thereof containing asmall amount of water, means in the well for heating the water, unitarymeans for forcing air through the water to heat the air and load it withwatervapor and'for simultaneously forcing air into the cabinet above thewater, and a rack for supporting soles in the upper part of the cabinet.

9'. A cabinet for tempering soles and activating cement thereoncomprising a casing containing hot water in the bottom thereof, meansfor forcing air at room temperature through the water to heat the airand load it with water-vapor and for introducing air above the water inthe cabinet to control the relative humidity of the atmosphere in thecabinet, said air being approximatelyat room temperature, and a rack forsupporting a i" was has as pock et,

plurality of soles in the upper part of the casing.

10. A cabinet for tempering soles and activating cement thereoncomprising a casing having a well smaller than the casing at the bottomthereof containing a small amount of water which Spreads out in thecasing above the well, means in the, well for heating the water, meansfor forcing'air through the water in the casing to heat the air and loadit with water-vapor, means for introducing air at room temperature abovethe water in cover the bottom of the cabinet, meansin the well ,forheating the water, means for maintaining a "constant level of water inthe cabinet above said well comprising a pocket secured to the casingand, having communication with the cabinet,

means for continuously supplying the pocket with water, and an overflowpipe mounted on the pocket for maintaining a constant level of water inthe pocket.

17. A cabinet for tempering soles and activating cement thereoncomprising a casing adapted to contain water in'its lower portion, meansfor the casing to control the relative humidity of the atmosphere in thecabinet, and a rack for supporting soles located in the upper part ofthe casing. A

11. A cabinet for tempering soles and activating cement thereoncomprising a casing adapted to receive soles and having water in thebottom thereof, means in the casing for heating the water, perforatedpipes having openings therein covered by the water, and single means inthe casing for forcing air at room temperature through the pipes to heatthe air and produce an atmosphere of vapor-laden air above the water inthe casing, said means being constructed and arranged also theintroduce, unheatedair directly intosaid atmosphere above the water toreduce the relative humidity thereof. I

12. A cabinet for tempering soles and activating cement thereoncomprising a casing adapted to contain water in its lower portion, meansfor heating the water, means for forcing air through the water to heatthe air and load it with watervapor, a rack for supportin'g'soles 'intheupper part of the cabinet, 'bafile plates betweenthe water and the rack,the upper baffle plate being solid and spaced from the casing atits'edges,"and means above the baflie plates for introducingsupplementary air to control the relative humidity of the atmosphere inthe cabinet. 7 f v 18. A cabinet for tempering soles andactivatingcement thereon comprisinga casing adapted to contain'water inits lower'portion, means for heating the water, means for forcing airthrough the water to heat the, air and load it with watervapor, a rackfor supporting soles in the upper part of the cabinet, baffle platesbetween the water and the rack, one of said plates'havinga large notchin its rear end to direct the vapor toward the rear of the cabinet, andmeans above the baiile plates for introducing supplementary heating thewater, means for forcing air through,

the water to heat the air and load it with watervapor, a rack forsupporting soles in the upper part of the cabinet, bafile plates betweenthe water and the rack, and means above the baflies air to control therelative humidity of the atmosphere in the cabinet.

19. An apparatus'for tempering soles and activating cement thereoncomprising a cabinet for receiving soles, a water container, means forheatfor introducing supplementary air to control'the;;,;,

relative humidity of the atmosphere in cabinet. 1

13. A cabinet for tempering soles and activating cement thereoncomprising a rectangular the casing adapted to receive soles and havingwater in the bottom thereof, means for maintaining the water at aconstant level, an immersion heater in the water for heating the water,single means for forcing air into the casing both above :and

below the water level, and means for varying the quantity of airsupplied to the casing;

14. A cabinet for tempering soles and activating cement thereoncomprising a casing having water in the bottom thereof, mean for heatingthe water, perforated pipes having openings therein covered by thewater, means for forcing air through the pipes to produce an atmosphereof vapor-laden air in the cabinet, and a perforated pipe extendingaround the cabinet above the Water for introducing air directly intosaid atmosphere to reduce the relative humidity thereof.

15. A cabinet for tempering soles and activating cement thereoncomprising a casing adapted to contain water at the bottom thereof,means for heating the water, a rack for supporting soles in the upperpart of the cabinet, means for maintaining a constant level of water inthe cabinet comprising a pocket mounted on the casing and havingcommunication with a cabinet through a single orifice, means forcontinuously pumping 'ing the water, means for forcing air through thewater to heat the air and load it with water-vapor and for introducingair into the vapor-laden air 7, to control the relative humiditythereof, and operator-controlled means for ejecting onesole' at atimefrom the cabinet. 7 V l 20. An apparatusfor tempering soles andactivating cement thereon comprising a cabinet for supporting aplurality of soles, a container for water communicating with saidcabinet, means in the container for heating the water, means for forcingair through the water to heat the air and load it with water-vapor,means for ejecting the V soles successively from the cabinet, and singleoperator-controlled means for operating said ejecting means.

21. An apparatus for tempering soles and activating cement thereoncomprising a cabinet, a rack in the cabinet for supporting a pluralityof soles, a well in the bottom of the cabinet containing water, meansfor heating the water, means for forcing air through the Water to heatthe air and load it with water-vapor, said means acting also to add airto the vapor-laden air in the cabinet to control the water-vapor contentthereof, and operator-controlled means for sequentially eject ing thesoles one at a time from the cabinet.

22. An apparatus for tempering soles and activating cement thereoncomprising a cabinet for receiving and supporting a plurality of soles,a

means for heating the water, single means for .11 forcing airv throughthe water. to heatithe .air.and load it with water-vaporandfor-simultaneously introducing air into the vapor-laden air in thecabinet to control the relative humidity thereof, means for each solefor ejecting the soles one at a time from the cabinet, and manuallycontrolled means separate from each sole ejecting means for actuatingeach ejecting, means.

23. An apparatus for tempering soles and activatingcement thereoncomprising a cabinet.

adapted to receive a plurality of soles in its upper portion, saidcabinet containing water in .its bottom portion, means for maintainingthe water at a constant level, means in the cabinet forheating thewater, means for forcing air through the water t0,heat the air andloadit with watervapor, means. for ejecting the soles from the cabinet, andsingle manually controlled .means separate from the ejectingmeansforoperating said ejecting means sequentially to eject the solesone at a time from the cabinet.

.24. An apparatus for .tempering solesandactivating cement thereoncomprising a cabinet consisting of a casing having a depression initsbottom surface for holding water, a plurality of stalls in the upperportion of the cabinet for receiving soles, means in said depression forheating the Water, means foriorcing. air through the water to heat theair and load it with water-vapor, means for introducing air. at roomtemperature into the casing above the water to control the relativehumidity of the atmosphere in the cabinet, and operator-controlled meansfor ejecting the soles from said stalls sequentially, and one at a time.

25. An apparatus for tempering. soles and.activating cement thereoncomprising a cabinet adapted to receive andsupport a..plurality ofsoles, a water container connected to thecabinet, means for heating thewater,.means forforcing air through the water to heat the .air and loadit with water-vapor, means including a lever for each sole for ejectingeach sole fromthecabinet, and single operator-controlled meansfor,actuating each of said leverssuccessively.

26. An apparatus for'tempering solesan'd activating cement thereoncomprising a cabinet, means for supporting a plurality of soles in thecabinet, a water receptacle, means for heating the water, means forforcing air through'the water to heat'the air and load it withwatervapor, a pusher for ejecting each solefrom the cabinet, a ratchet,levers between the ratchet and the pushersfor operating the pushers, andtreadle-controlled means for operating the ratchet to actuate saidlevers'successively.

27. An apparatus for tempering soles and ac- .tivating. cement thereoncomprising .a cabinet,

.means in the cabinet forsupporting 350188 on their edges, a waterreceptacle, means forheatrotations to causethe pushers one at. a time toeject a sole from thecabinet.

28. An apparatusfor tempering, solesandactivating cement thereoncomprising .a cabinet provided with a plurality of stallseach'adapted tosupport a sole edgewise, saidjcabinethavinga ,well in its bottomarranged to hold water, means in the well for heating the water, meansfor'forcing air through the water'to heat the air and load it withwater-vapor, means for varying the amount of water-vapor.in the air,a-pusher for each of said stalls, a lever connected to each ofsaid'pushers, a shaft having a series of tappets fixed thereto andextending from differentpositions-radially of the shaft, andoperator-controlled means for giving the shaft partial rotations'tocause the pushers to eject the soles one at a time from the stalls inthe cabinet.

HELGE GULBRANDSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are ofrecordinthe .file .ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES LPATENTS Number Name "Date 740,159 Mills Sept. 29, .1903740,388 'Blais'dell Oct. ",6, 1903 1,021,723 ,Morse Mar 26, 19121,106,848 'Roovers Aug. 11, 1914 1,388,844 *Bra'dford Aug. 30,19211,758,256 Jennings May'I3', 1930 1,840,728 'Longford 'Jan. 12, 19321,876,055 Jennings 'Septflfi, 1932 1,891,274 Winkley 'Dec. 20, 19321,951,746 Bonaccolta -Mar.20, 1934 2,056,083 Walker "Sept. 29, 19362,334,232 Wells Nov.'16,1l943 2,346,328 -Phinney "Apr. 11,1944

2,377,208 Card May'29, 1945 2,381,360 "Monroe Aug. 7, 1945 2,421,053Card May 27,1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 468503 France 1914484,812 Great'Britain "May11,1938

